$115,000 bond set for mother of 47-pound teen

BATON ROUGE - A judge set bond at $115,000 for the woman accused of cruelty to her 15-year-old son, who police said was found in deplorable conditions and weighing only 47 pounds.

Rose Holland faces charges of cruelty to juveniles and cocaine possession after her arrest early Wednesday morning.

BRPD said an officer was investigating a noise complaint on N. 46th Street. The responding officer said Holland and another woman were in a car outside the home and that he found crack cocaine and a crack pipe in the vehicle.

The officer said when he went inside to look for more narcotics he found Holland's 15-year-old son lying on a cot and covered in roaches. The officer said the boy was having a seizure, and was covered in roaches and bug bites. EMS said the boy was also stuck to his cot from lying in his own feces and urine for several days.

Holland's sister told News 2 she and other family members made multiple complaints to the state about the boy's living conditions. Secretary Suzie Sonnier with the Department of Children and Family Services said Thursday they investigated those claims, but did not find anything to substantiate accusations of abuse or neglect.

Sonnier said the boy had special needs and was unable to speak. She said DCFS changed their policies as a result of the case to send a medical personnel with any case workers investigating situations involving children with similar needs who cannot speak.